Torchwood

[cherry]

So. I am not yet quite sure what I think of this. I think that this is more a reflection upon the fannish fatigue I feel these days than anything else.

• I was prepared to like everyone, yes. Even Owen. I had seen some of the hate floating around, and I was wondering why this was: "Perhaps they do not like his hair," I said to myself. "Perhaps his amusing character bits like the pizza rub people the wrong way. Perhaps -- OMGWTF rape?"


• I looked at the Torchwood site a bit, and there was a mention in there about some sort of serious misconduct. Some sort of Doctor/Patient breach before he started working for Torchwood, perhaps. To me, that's a hopeful sign that they're going to deal with this. Not that RTD is always good about the whole 'consequences' thing, but I really believe that it needs to be addressed. I can't believe that no one in the production crew (or Burm himself) didn't bring it up, otherwise.


• I feel vaguely guilty for finding Burn attractive.


• I loved the bit where they were all putting Gwen on.


• I think that I might not understand British policing that well, as I thought cops generally did not run around serving other cops coffee. Slight Life on Mars moment.


• The location shots are very shiny, and I like that they are randomly standing on top of places. It is like all of the X-Men going up to the Mansion roof to brood, only Wolverine has a blaster instead of claws. He managed to keep his angst and his magical healing powers, though.
  
• I did not see the Suzie thing coming -- with the press and all, I really assumed she was around to stay. And, boy, you know you have a problem when the one that has to die is almost not the most morally questionable one.


• Jack. Oh, Jack. You are so very much in loved with the Doctor. The hand thing is still creepy, though.


• Wow, the Doctor really fucked up on this one.

General Things:

• Is someone else writing "Five Times Jack Harkness Should Have Died (But Didn't)" or am I going to have to do it?


• I was not enamoured of the second episode. I do no know why they chose it to follow their headliner. The plot was just kind of... meh.


• It feels to me as if they are still trying to find their identity. The sexuality and language (especially in 1x02) felt almost pasted on to me. Very "We have a sexuality, look! And we are adults, yayzor!"


• Is it just me, or does Jack's sexuality feel a little bit pasted on, as well? They keep telling us he'd nail anything, but here I didn't see too much interest in anything, really. I seem to recall JB had an ability to have chemistry with potted plants.
  
• I am possibly a bad person.


• I am not considering making a TW vid to OK Go's "Invincible." ("When they finally come to destroy the earth they’ll have to go through you first, and I bet they won't be expecting that/When they finally come to destroy the earth they’ll have to deal with you first/And my money says they won’t know about the 1000-Fahrenheit hot metal lights behind your eyes.")
  
• I think maybe it is still defining itself, and I look forward to seeing it do so.

Comments

[kiarasayre.livejournal.com]

Is it just me, or does Jack's sexuality feel a little bit pasted on, as well?

Yes.

But I think that's more showing how Jack Is Not The Same Jack From Parting of the Ways, and has Angst now. Which actually seems appropriate, given that he has to deal with 1. abandonment, 2. coming-back-from-the-dead existential issues, and 3. he is now Daniel Jackson he can't die. That's a lot of brooding to do--can't imagine it leaves much time for the hot 'n sweaty. As for Toshiko and Owen and Ianto's comments, maybe he wasn't as angsty before? Maybe he didn't realize he couldn't die before he came to Torchwood, and was thus regular, flirt-with-everything-and-everyone Jack? Although I also got the feeling that in the first two episodes, Jack's testing Gwen, so he may have been focusing more on that than that incredibly attractive lifeform over there.

(Mmm, fanwank!)

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

The chemistry thing, though -- it seems to me that when they were trying (see: the tent scene with the army guy) it falls flat. It didn't feel like a lack of interest to me, just a lack of clicking.

I think Jack has every right to have a lot of anger towards the Doctor -- he was the companion who got to die, and they just left him where he fell. I'm rather supposing that he went through some very nasty things getting out of there, and it wouldn't surprise me if he's died enough times that he's lost count. Just... doesn't even really try to avoid it any more.

That said, I think that despite his anger, he has managed to convince himself that he's more in love with the Doctor than he was before.

Jack is going to punch him in the nose, and then they will defile a TARDIS wall, I predict.

[tellitslant]

(see: the tent scene with the army guy)
Wait, that was supposed to be chemistry-y? Wow. I so didn't pick up on that.

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

I think it was supposed to have some sort of chemistry in it. ("All her curves are in the right places.") It's a Jack sort of thing to say, but it felt tacked on to me. It could just be me, though.

[livii.livejournal.com]

Is someone else writing "Five Times Jack Harkness Should Have Died (But Didn't)" or am I going to have to do it?

I just demanded that from fandom this afternoon, heh. I cannot quite believe that it doesn't exist yet...

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

It should! Because I wonder how many times he's died, and if he really even cares any more.

I hope that we do not have Jack die in every episode, though. It would make me think the Torchwood team rather slow, for people who are supposed to be investigating the unusual.

I think that if he's been speaking to them as he has been Gwen, someone really ought to have guessed he's out of time by this point.

[livii.livejournal.com]

Because I wonder how many times he's died, and if he really even cares any more.

Great thought. See, that's the sort of concept that, if explored, would make me more actually interested in the damn show...

If he dies in every episode we will have a wee problem, yes. And the fact no one's guessed he's out of time...I had a hard time suspending my disbelief for that one, let me tell you.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bounce_/]

They know *something* is going on with him. I'm just not sure how much they've guessed, though. He's dropped enough 'I love this planet' and 'quant 21st century' lines that they've got to know something by now. I don't know if they think he's from another time but it seems like there's a certain acceptance of the fact that you don't talk about certain things or ask about other things inside Torchwood. or at least that's the feeling I'm getting, anyway. :)

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

They were quite quick to pump Gwen about it though, which leads me to believe that it's less that they don't talk about it, and more that the crack team of alien/time driftwood investigators haven't pieced it together, even a litt.

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

Great thought. See, that's the sort of concept that, if explored, would make me more actually interested in the damn show...

If I end up being the one who writes the 5-things, I will have to look into it, yes. *ponders*

If he dies in every episode we will have a wee problem, yes. And the fact no one's guessed he's out of time...I had a hard time suspending my disbelief for that one, let me tell you.

They are supposed to be a crack team of experts on all things odd. Talking about the current time zone, and other things, should certain have raised it as a point to consider.

[cyberducks.livejournal.com]

I think Jack has lost the joyful spirit he used to have. He is very adult and jaded in this. Of course it's all too understandable after what's happened to him. My theory - and it's popular now all over - is that he's been in Cardiff, waiting, for a very, very long time (there are a lot of clues on the website and future plot hints that support this. He needs something big to make him feel passion and connected to people again. Wonder what's that going to be...

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

He feels very focussed to me. Perhaps it is supposed to feel as if his irreverance is a mask, but it just feels rather like they wrote the episode, then went: "Oh, wait. Isn't he omnisexual or something?"

I was wondering how many years it had been for him myself, and how many times he's died.

[cyberducks.livejournal.com]

or how many times he's tried to commit suicide...

about the chemistry and clicking thing - I think JB, the actor, is holding back here on purpose - he knows the journey his character is supposed to take over these 13 eps, and maybe already what's ahead for him in WHO....

Why would Jack really want to click with people? Clicking with people may lead to longterm attachments, and longterm attachment are especially painful when you are in Jack's shoes. In the good old days Jack used to have casual encounters for fun and variety - now he probably has them for other more painful reasons.

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

But if he was holding back because it's a production thing, would they really be pasting his sexuality on at all? I suppose I'll have to wait and see how things shape up.

I'm just not quite buying any of it yet. I eagerly wait to be convinced, though.

[wildmachinery.livejournal.com]

Is someone else writing "Five Times Jack Harkness Should Have Died (But Didn't)" or am I going to have to do it?

i vote you.

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

... I really kind of deserved that, didn't I?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bounce_/]

You've got some good points. I'm starting to wonder whether some of Jack's behaviour back on the TARDIS was acting. Someone that had gotten to the point he'd gotten, where he's a fairly deadly time agent and a good con artist would be able to act and maintain a persona under a lot of stress, especially considering that he's spent time in other times and they've probably got all sorts of rules about maintaining cover and not destroying the timestream. He's just ...gotten harder and I don't think he sees as much of a need to keep the Captain Jack persona going to the same degree. And he's become pretty traumatised and damaged by everything by this point. I hope they're going to explore the fact that he's probably completely batshit at least half the time.

And just how much time's passed between the station and Cardif?

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

I think that Jack has convinced himself that he was more in love with the Doctor than he was. I do agree that he was acting at some point -- TEC Jack is not BT Jack, and I can't just blame RTD. I wonder, though, if he's acting now as well. Something to conceal his hidden depths of anguish and despair, as Ianto apparently has the market cornered on those.

I hope they're going to explore the fact that he's probably completely batshit at least half the time.

I rather hope they deal with the fact that Owen is a rapist.

And just how much time's passed between the station and Cardif?

Something that I've been wondering -- and that I've seen other wondering at -- is whether or not Jack can age now, as well. If he can't it would open the door to him having been hanging around Earth a good long time -- I think there's some suggestion on the site that he might have been here since the 60s. I think that would be rather interesting to address.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bounce_/]

I rather hope they deal with the fact that Owen is a rapist.

Gah. Yes. He makes me sick.

some suggestion on the site that he might have been here since the 60s. I think that would be rather interesting to address.

Life on Mars crossover!